576 THE GLACIAL LAKE AGASSIZ. 



rarely obtaiuing artesian flows; but water, found iu gravel and sand at tlie bottom 

 generally rises nearly to the surface. In some wells the water is too salty or bitter to 

 be used, but others equally deep have fresh water. The former jirobably derive their 

 water supply from great distances through beds of sandstone underlying the drift, 

 while the latter receive their water from rains on neighboring areas, percolating only 

 through porous sand and gravel beds of the drift sheet. 



Bathgate. — The artesian well of the Minneapolis and Northern Elevator Com- 

 pany is 143 feet deep, i)assiug through alluvial and lacustrine clay and till to coarse 

 sand, whence a very copious flow of water rises to 6 feet above the surface. It is 

 somewhat saline and alkaline, but its mineral matter is chiefly deposited as a powdery 

 sediment in the boilers of engines, which can be easily blown out. 



During the year 1887 eleven artesian wells, ranging from 130 to 1(jO feet in depth, 

 were bored within a radius of 5 miles about Bathgate. 



There are no shallow wells in this town, as the seeping surface water is too 

 alkaline. The water of the Tongue River is used for ordinary domestic purposes. 



Neche. — Minneapolis and Northern Elevator Company: Well, about 175 feet 

 deep; water saline, rising to a few feet below the surface; unfit for any use. 



ATcra. — Abner Fre:ich, at center of section 18, townshiji 161, range 55, 6 rods 

 southeast of the Tongue Eiver : Well, dug at first about 16 feet deep, having good 

 water, which seeped from the alluvial clay. In an unusually dry season it was dug 4 

 feet deeper, and found a layer of sand from which water of inferior quality soon rose 

 6 feet, to the level of the river. 



WELLS ON THE AREA OF LAKE AGASSIZ IN MANITOBA. 



Artesian or flowing wells are obtained at many localities in Manitoba near the 

 Red Kiver, as in Winnipeg and southward, where water often rises to the surface from 

 layers of sand and gravel in the drift. 



Winnipefj. — About 40 wells have been bored by the city authorities of Winnipeg, 

 for supplying water for domestic use. Mr. H. N. Ruttau, the city engineer, states 

 that about a dozen of these wells go into the bed-rock, which is limestone, while the 

 others derive their water from layers of quicksand in or beneath the till. Several of 

 them in the west part of the city are artesian, but eastward the water rises only to 5 

 or 10 feet below the surface. The water is considered of good (juality for drinking 

 and cooking, but it contains much mineral matter in solution, chiefly the sulphates of 

 lime and magnesia. 



Alluvial stratified clay extends to a depth that varies from 3 to 10 feet or more. 

 This is underlai7i by the glacial till or bowlder-clay, which incloses thin veins and 

 layers of fine gravel and sand, and frequently is underlain by sand and gravel, but 

 iu many places extends to the limestone. The upper part of the till here shows an 

 imperfect stratification, due to its deposition iu Lake Agassiz, and contains a less 



